by Kova, Elise
“Wake up, sleepy princess!” Ellene declared, barging into Vi’s room.
She didn’t remember falling asleep and her letters were still strewn about her on top of the covers.
“Shouldn’t you knock?” Vi groaned.
“Not when the day is getting away from us.” Ellene threw open the window shutters and Vi yanked the covers over her head. “Come on, up, it’s time to go!”
“I need to check my pack a final time.” What Vi really wanted to say was that she needed five more minutes of sleep. She’d been up before dawn yesterday and was now up with the dawn today. Vi was not a morning person and this was testing her limits.
“I figured as much.” Ellene grinned. “It’s why I took the liberty of checking and packing it for you.”
Vi sat up at that, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “I don’t know if I should be grateful or frightened that you were in here rummaging around in my things while I slept.”
“It’s your fault for being such a heavy sleeper.” Ellene put her hands on her hips. “And I can’t tell if you’re offending my person or packing skills by that remark.”
“Both?”
“You wound me!” Ellene launched herself onto the bed, flopping heavily with a dramatic sigh. This was the Ellene Vi knew—someone caught somewhere between girl and woman still, and had all the best parts of both. Not the quiet observer she’d seen before Andru.
“Given that the last time we went hunting, I believe you forgot your bedroll…” Vi poked the girl’s nose.
“You like snuggling with me.” Ellene cuddled up to her for emphasis. “How could I deprive you of that joy?”
“The time before that, I believe you forgot rations.” Vi struggled to keep her face serious—it was a losing battle.
“You’re a good hunter. I was giving you incentive.” Ellene grinned.
“What about forgetting your—”
“You could just say thank you.” Ellene threw her hands in the air, raised up her legs, and half-jumped off the bed as quickly as she came.
Vi was quickly out of bed after her and throwing her arms around Ellene’s shoulders, hugging her tightly from behind. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, sister.” Ellene squeezed her forearm before Vi let go. “I’m glad you’re still going out, given Andru and all the weirdness of yesterday—” Ellene still didn’t know the half of it, Vi realized. “I think you could use the distraction.”
“I really could.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“I want to grab one more thing…” Vi started for the door to her study. She realized her presents had distracted her from grabbing her journal yesterday morning.
“I already grabbed your journal. It’s at the top of your pack.”
“What?” Vi stopped in her tracks.
“See, now who’s not forgetful?” Ellene asked over her shoulder with a satisfied smirk.
“You’re tolerating my map-making? Is it my birthday?”
“I think it is, actually. Or, was.” Ellene paused in her doorway. Vi was briefly reminded of Andru and the thought woke her spark. She fought to keep it suppressed, not allowing it to run wild. She would not allow it to ruin this hunt with any outbursts or visions. “Now, get dressed and meet me down.”
Today was not the day for dresses or finery. Vi picked her softest leather leggings, pairing them with a fitted shirt that wouldn’t impede her movements. She dressed quickly and made her way down the wooden stairs and winding arches of the fortress.
Vi emerged from the main entrance to find Jayme and Ellene waiting with Jax, Sehra, and… unfortunately… Andru.
He’d said he wasn’t coming the night before. Vi balled her hands into fists, hoping he hadn’t been lying to her. He’d better hope he hadn’t been lying… The sight of only three packs—one at Ellene’s feet and one at Jayme’s, and the third having her bow attached, put the fear to rest.
Vi’s eyes drifted upward, landing at Jayme’s hip. There was something new strapped there—a sword. The hilt was done in gold and made to look like wheat. A properly Eastern design, seeing as they were the bread basket of the Empire.
“You really look like a proper soldier,” Vi said to Jayme, motioning toward the sword.
“Thank you.” Jayme gave the scabbard a pat.
“Hopefully she functions as a proper soldier, too,” Andru remarked.
Vi’s gaze turned to him with slightly narrowed eyes. But Jayme beat her to the retort.
“I have practiced with it all my life. It’s been in my hands every time I return home and in the training grounds with the other soldiers when I’m in Solarin. I am more than confident.”
“And you were born to wear that blade.” Jax wore a small, tender smile as he looked between the sword and the woman who wore it. Whatever he was seeing, it wasn’t the rising tensions. Vi almost wanted to ask, but kept silent. Now wasn’t the time, and she was still guarding secrets from him.
“Born or not, she is to be your sole guard for this adventure,” Andru continued. “A curious choice.”
“Do you have something you would like to say about it?” Vi couldn’t stop herself from asking. The question was a little too direct, said too quickly. But she didn’t regret the words even after they’d left her.
“Certainly not. I am here to observe, note, and report. Nothing more. I leave any decision-making or judgment-passing to my betters in the Senate.” He smiled his full-lipped, toothy smile.
“You three need to take note not to go too far.” Sehra was the one to get the conversation back on track. “Lord Andru has stated truth; Jayme will be your sole guard for this excursion.”
“You’re actually letting us go unattended?” Vi asked skeptically. What kind of a test was this? They’d never been permitted to go on a hunt without at least one of the Chieftain’s warriors in tow—usually four or five.
“First, you are not unattended, you have the new captain of your personal royal guard,” Jax said sternly. “Second, do not make us regret this. If there is any danger, shoot fire into the sky.”
Vi gave a small nod. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. The last thing she wanted was to be around fire.
“Stay close enough that our watchers can see that alarm,” Sehra continued, oblivious to the sub-context of Vi’s magic lesson the day before. “And do not be gone for more than four days or we will use the noru to track you down.”
“Yes, mum.”
“Understood.” Jayme brought a fist to her chest in salute.
“We will be exceptionally careful. Thank you again, Chieftain, for permitting us to hunt. I am particularly grateful this year.” Vi lowered her eyes, dipping her head slightly.
“You are welcome.” Her green eyes had turned hard, cold even in the early heat of the morning. “Perhaps you may practice your magic in the forests? I hear from Jax you’ve made progress lately. I would like to see it when you return.”
“Perhaps…” The last thing Vi wanted to do was practice her magic. “Though I think I am looking forward to a vacation from my lessons.”
“Are they too rigorous for you?” Andru asked.
Vi bit the insides of her cheeks. The sooner she left, the better. Or she may show Sehra her magic a little too soon.
“I find the wealth of knowledge my tutors give me settles in best when I have fresh air and time to process. I come back with the best questions.”
“I look forward to hearing them during our next lessons, then.”
With that, she put Andru mentally behind her, eager to find physical distance as well. Vi adjusted her pack, looking to her friends. “Ready?”
The two girls nodded.
“Stay safe,” Sehra said as she leaned in to plant a kiss on her daughter’s forehead.
“You’re the oldest, Jayme, be sure to keep them in line,” Jax gave one final command.
“I’ll do my best, sir!”
The three started away from the towering trees of the castle and into the wooded
city of Soricium. The trees were smaller, but still large enough to fit whole homes within and, thanks to the magic of the Groundbreakers, the people of Shaldan did just that.
Soricium, overall, was much like the fortress. It was a mix of stone and foliage. Groundbreakers bent earth and plant alike to make dwellings that came alive right alongside their residents. Doors appeared from solid walls and branches arced over the streets to create pathways for the confident footfalls of the magically inclined. Rooftops were covered in mosses that kept the houses cool in summer, warm in winter, and flowered in springtime.
“We’re not going to stay even remotely close to the city, are we?” Ellene dared to ask when they were well out of earshot.
“Oh, not at all. I wasn’t lying when I said I needed distance. As much as we can manage in the time we’re allowed.”
“What?” Jayme looked between them. “I just got done promising I would—”
“How many times have you come here, Jayme?” Vi interrupted.
“Given that I’ve been your courier for four years now and make a trip almost every month, that’d be…”
“At least forty-eight times.” Ellene jumped in. “Well, almost every month, so at least forty.”
“At least forty times and you’ve never even seen the Northern coast.” Vi gasped loudly, drawing even more attention than the two heirs and their guard already were, walking through the shaded city. Medallions of sunlight danced on the road ahead, striking beams like the footprints of mythical fairy folk the elders spoke of around campfires.
“Can you keep it down?” Jayme looked around, uncomfortable.
“I just think that’s something we need to fix.”
“The coast is a little far,” Ellene said uncertainly. “Why don’t we—”
“No, we’re going to the coast,” Vi insisted. “We can dip our toes in the water before it’s too cold.”
“Yes, this has everything to do with water and nothing to do with the news that the fishing town has moved.” Ellene easily called out Vi’s true intentions.
“They always change the landscape. I must update my maps!” The fishing town was a nomadic ground that traveled along the coast. They used their abilities as Groundbreakers to terraform the land for better fishing. Living in a region full of those with the power to manipulate the earth itself was both a delight and nightmare, for a hobby cartographer like herself. “Besides, you knew this was going to happen, or you wouldn’t have put my journal in my pack. You practically ensured it.”
“Did you really?” Jayme looked to Ellene, but the girl looked anywhere else.
“She’s an enabler.” Vi laughed, hooking her arm with Jayme’s. “Now, it’s just us and we have a long hike ahead. Tell us all about the news of the South?”
Luckily, Jayme had no shortage of stories this time, for she talked as they left the city proper and the trees became free of dwellings. Her stories continued as they traversed the burnt stretch of earth that ringed Soricium—a holdover from the Empire’s siege during the war well before Vi’s birth.
On the second day, Vi and Ellene caught Jayme up on their adventures since the last time Jayme had been in the North—much less to talk about. Which was good, because by the late afternoon they had reached the sea, and Vi had all but forgotten the storm of power that loomed within her, threatening to break free.
Chapter Seven
From this high in the treetops, there was only wind.
A vine as thick as Vi’s bicep was wrapped around her waist and the bark of the tree curved upward to cradle her feet and give her a comfortable stance. She squinted into the sunlight, trying to make out the exact curve of the land around the waves—nearly impossible with the midday glare off the sea.
Her journal was propped against her upper abdomen, held by her left hand. In her right was a stick of charcoal she was using to make hasty sketches—desperately trying, and failing, not to smudge. Every now and then, Vi lifted her eyes toward the horizon, checking her rendering.
It was close, not exact, but coming along. Vi stared again, this time in sheer wonder at how much the land seemed to have changed from the maps pinned back in her quarters. She’d stared at them for hours on end, committing their wiggling lines to memory. To think that some could make such a difference on the earth itself. Vi couldn’t help but wonder what it was like to control power like that.
To have full control of magic at all.
“Are you quite done?” Ellene called up to her. The girl was stripped to her underclothes and dripping wet.
“Are you?” Vi shouted back. “You two look like you’re enjoying the water a lot for people who didn’t want to go this far.”
“You should enjoy it too. Rather than spending the entire time perched in that tree.”
“She’ll just spend most of the time perched,” Jayme chimed in.
“All right, all right, I’m basically done. I’ll come down.” Vi returned her charcoal to behind the front flap of her journal, quickly lacing the tie closed.
Ellene raised a hand and the tree shuddered and came to life. The vine around Vi adjusted its grip before hoisting her into the air. Her stomach rose to meet her jaw as she descended from the canopy. She’d been so high up that the wind in her ears grew to a whistle well before she neared the ground.
With a twist of her wrist, Ellene brought Vi to the earth gently. Her feet touching down on the soft carpet of small grasses that quickly became white sand. With a snap of her fingers, the vine uncurled and hung limply behind Vi.
“Was the snap really necessary?” Vi asked, kicking off her shoes and putting them with the other pairs.
“Everyone likes a bit of drama.”
“Who did you hear that from?” Vi knew neither of Ellene’s mothers would say such a thing. She was fairly certain she’d heard them espousing the opposite.
“Darrus,” Ellene answered simply, quickly, as though she could sweep the name away. It didn’t work.
“Who’s this Darrus I keep hearing of?” Jayme asked from where she sat, legs stretched into the sea foam.
“Don’t get her started,” Vi cautioned, pulling up her leggings to step into the warm waters of the northern sea. If she didn’t know better—didn’t know that to the northwest, just over the horizon, there was a whole series of tiny islands separating the Main and Crescent Continents—she’d think she stood at the edge of the world itself.
“Darrus is just a boy.” Ellene huffed, sitting back down where she’d been before.
“Wait, it’s not that Darrus, is it? From the spring dances?”
“The same,” Vi affirmed. The last time Jayme likely heard about Darrus would’ve been months ago. Which was the last time he was anything to Ellene.
“I thought we weren’t speaking of him any longer? How did you word it?” Jayme made a show of thinking, but there was no way she’d forgotten Ellene’s emotional tirade. “He was ‘dead to us’?”
“Apparently asking Ellene to dance at the winter solstice can bring a man back to life.” Vi grinned.
“So this is still about dances?” Jayme’s eye roll conveyed exactly what she thought about that.
“Can we please change the topic?” Ellene begged.
“Sure, how about Lukke?” Vi recounted the last suitor before Darrus. Ellene had quite a few. But it was hardly surprising. She was smart, fierce, beautiful, enjoyed the chase, and most importantly—had the time to deal with boys.
“Another boy?”
“You two are the worst!” Ellene laid back into the sand with a huff.
Vi and Jayme both shared a small laugh at her expense, but allowed the teasing to subside.
“What about you, princess? Any suitors catching your eye?” Jayme turned the tables.
“You know the answer is no. If it wasn’t no, you’d already be aware from the gossip that would be flying around the capital.” There was one thing Romulin had always been quite clear on—that regardless of where she was in the world, any romantic involvement
on her part would have the gossip mongers of the capital talking. She was the heir to the Empire, and just about everyone seemed to want to have a hand in her match… except for her.
It wasn’t that Vi didn’t care. She hoped that she’d find love, or love would find her someday. But she’d just never felt that way about anyone, not like the storybooks made it out to be, all butterflies and stardust. Certainly not the instant attraction that had Ellene swooning over someone new each of the three springs since she turned twelve. Vi counted her blessings for the fact, since it made following Romulin’s sound advice to avoid romance entirely even easier.
“Plus, I have too much to worry about. I don’t have time to add a boy to the mix.”
“The Senate might disagree with that when you get back,” Jayme muttered.
“Yes, the crusty old men and women who want to take my crown also want to decide my romantic fate.” She’d never be so bold in front of anyone other than Ellene and Jayme. Her directness had them both laughing, and Vi spared a small smile on the outside. She knew it was no laughing matter though. Eventually, she would have to marry—and it would no doubt be a politically arranged union.
“And what about you? You’re doing an awfully good job at pointing fingers at Ellene and me.”
“What time would I possibly have to find a suitor?” Jayme shook her head. “Last I heard, most suitors like their other half at least relatively present, and I’m traveling across the continent every few weeks.”
“Well, you won’t be now.” Vi sat down between them, not caring about her clothes getting soaked in the process. She didn’t know when she’d feel the water again. “Sounds like you’ll be stuck with me now.”
“Lucky me,” Jayme said, deadpan.
Vi roared with laughter. “I’m the worst, aren’t I?”
“You have no idea.”
Even Ellene snorted with amusement at that.
“Perhaps you found love already in the man you’re traveling with?” Vi suggested, not entirely sincerely.
“How dare you!” Jayme gasped and Vi couldn’t tell how much was for show. “Andru is awful.”
